Most rendered walls do not need replacing. They need the failed sections identified and dealt with properly, and the rest recoated. We sound the whole facade first so you know exactly how much of it is actually compromised before anyone quotes you a full strip and re-render.
Drummy render — where the coat has lost its bond to the brick — has to come off; there is no coating that fixes it from the outside. Cracks are raked out, bridged with flexible filler or mesh depending on width and whether the movement is live, and blended back. Salt and damp problems are traced to the source, because rendering over rising damp just moves the blowout up the wall.
Once the repairs are sound, a full recoat in acrylic or texture over the whole elevation gives you a uniform facade rather than a patchwork. That combination usually lands well under the cost of a full re-render.
Best suited to
- Drummy, cracked or blown render on an otherwise sound wall
- Storm, impact or water damage to a single elevation
- Pre-sale facade refresh on a tired rendered home
- Owners' corporations managing unit-block facade maintenance
When we'd steer you elsewhere
- Walls where the underlying moisture problem has not been fixed
- Facades where more than about half the coat has debonded — a re-render is better value
How we do it
The repairs & recoat process
Sound the facade
We tap out the whole wall to map the debonded areas rather than guessing from what is visible.
Cut out
Drummy sections removed back to sound edges, substrate cleaned and keyed.
Crack treatment
Cracks raked open, bridged with flexible filler or mesh, and control joints reinstated where they were rendered over.
Patch and level
New render built back to the surrounding plane and texture-matched.
Recoat
Full-elevation recoat so the repair does not read as a patch.
Common questions
Repairs & recoat questions
How do I know if my render needs repair or replacement?
Tap it. A hollow, drummy sound means the coat has debonded and that section has to come out. If it is isolated to patches, repair and recoat is the right call; if most of the wall sounds hollow, a re-render is better value.
Can you just fill the cracks?
Only after working out why they are there. A settlement crack that has stopped moving can be bridged and coated. A live movement crack will come back through any filler unless a control joint is introduced.
Is repairing cheaper than re-rendering?
Usually much cheaper — often a fraction of a full re-render, because the sound render stays and you are paying for targeted repair plus a recoat rather than a full strip.
Other systems we apply
Acrylic Rendering
Pre-coloured, polymer-modified render that flexes with the building instead of fighting it.
Sand & Cement Rendering
The traditional mix, built up in stages, keyed properly and floated dead flat.
Texture Coating & Stucco
Rollcoat, sponge, fine sand and rough cast — matched off an existing wall so the join disappears.
Heritage & Lime Render
Breathable lime coats for solid-brick period homes, where modern sealed render traps moisture and blows the masonry apart from inside.
Hebel, Foam & Lightweight Cladding Render
Render systems specified for Hebel, polystyrene and lightweight cladding substrates — where the coating is part of the wall system, not a finish on top of it.
Working out a budget? See our Melbourne rendering cost guide, or find your suburb.
Get a quote for repairs & recoat
Send through the details and a couple of photos and we will book a site visit and come back with a written itemised quote.